men with style

Ladies step aside, as it’s a chance for Auxiliary Magazine to give a salute to the men in the alt fashion world. Very little attention is paid to men’s fashion but there are many dapper, swanky, quirky, and suave gents out there making fashion statements! We have picked out a few guys with a solid grasp on their individual sense of style, and who are passionate about their outward appearance as well as the alternative scenes they are in. These guys are everything but boring! And we got them all to take time out of their busy schedules to talk about their fashion influences, tips, and shopping strategies. Cause hey, guys like clothes too!

Drummer from the Buffalo, NY based band The Rabies, Steve Sojka finds influences in deathrock, goth, and punk to create his own “Sophisticated Punk” style. Steve started pushing the fashion limits at a young age, he would buy suit coats at thrift shops, modify them into “punk” fashion by adding liberty spikes, and wear them with ripped jeans. Through the years as his influences, music tastes, and personal acquaintances changed, he started throwing in other items; poet shirts, vinyl pants, bondage accessories, and black slowly started filled his closet. But music apparel, like band swag and patches, has always been a constant in Steve’s wardrobe, as DYI is a staple of his style.

Steve finds a lot of his clothing when he is on tour with The Rabies, visiting cities like New York City, LA, and Toronto. One of his favorite stores to stop in is Trash and Vaudeville in New York City. Trash and Vaudeville (actually two separate stores on top of one another) is located on the infamous St. Mark’s Place (once a punk haven) in the East Village. According to Steve, “If you know Jimmy he’ll give you 15% off!” He’s also been know in the past to shop at Serious in LA and the since closed, Siren in Toronto. Steve says, “There are so many stores out there you just have to take the time to check them out and have an idea of what you are looking for.”

Lip Service is this sophisticated punker-a-go-go’s favorite fashion label. He does find his dress to be influenced by his bands music. He likes to dress classy, but throws in some items with shock value for when he performs on stage. Sitting behind his green leopard print drum kit and often seen wearing a noose as a necktie, Steve beats those pigskins like it’s his job (literally!). With his bleach blonde spiked hair he does not blend into the background, and sometimes he’ll be seen wearing an occasional top hat and gas mask combination! Steve’s greatest fashion tip on and off stage is, “Always make sure your package looks good!”

His musical involvement with, The Rabies, has Steve performing many roles: drummer, promoter/advertiser, roadie, and driver. The Rabies formed in 2003 and since then have “infected” many cities as well as receiving airplay in the US and as far as Australia! The Rabies can be described as “horror rock”, with performances reminiscent of horror movies and old cabaret vaudeville with a B-movie twist. The Rabies music is creepy, but fun! The sound of the band has often been described as a concoction of punk, new wave, and goth.

If you want to “get infected” check out Steve and his band mates on their website www.therabies.com. “No matter how much you dare to resist, they will infect you…The Rabies are contagious.”

Derek Hendrickson can be spotted wearing top hats to work while draped in the usual black and truly believes, “everyday is Halloween.” Derek says, “I enjoy making a skeptical out of myself, as fashion is fun.” When describing his style, you can simply call him “gothabilly”, a blending of goth and rockabilly styling (also a musical genre, yes, it does exist!). But when it come to dress, he’s not limited to one label, as Derek also enjoys neo-Victorian or steampunk influenced garb. From his well-groomed pompadour quiff to his red-cross creepers, Derek is a character!

This top-hatter finds his favorite articles of clothing at Trash and Vaudeville in New York City and online at www.shrine.com. He has a vast collection of Guayabera’s, also know as Mexican wedding shirts, and you will never see him without a unique piece of jewelry hanging around his neck. His favorite bone saw necklace by Spragwerks is the usual everyday neckwear. Derek also enjoys strolling the isles of Target and thrift stores, looking for button-up vests, fedoras, and adding to his collection of striped socks. He can’t get enough of the velvety, spooky, and creepy attire that haunts his closets.

Along with an artistic and expressive sense of style, Derek is a jack-of-all-artsy-fartsy-trades. His current major focus is on tattoos, and he works as a tattoo artist at Renaissance Studios in Buffalo, NY. Derek has been tattooing for close to 3 years and has developed his artistic drawing skills into works-of-art on the flesh. Before taking the plunge into the job of tattooist, Derek traveled all over the country selling his sculpted creations. He says he, “Suffers from Elvis Disease,” and his hand-poured, hand-painted, hand-molded satirical Elvis busts have appeared in tattoo magazines and celebrities homes, and have even been featured in the teen magazine Jane.

All of Derek’s creativity is reflected in his clothing, but it is in his own tattoos that his sense of humor comes out! This dapper-cadaver shows his love for Spam with a comical creation on his leg, has an astronaut Elvis singing in space on his forearm, has Frankenstein-like stitches around his arms, and the infamous ZZZ’s on his knuckles. There is never a dull moment in the world of Mr. Dzzzzz.

Newt a.k.a. Shawn Egressy best describes his style as, “Newt!” He can be dressed in anything from a t-shirt and jeans to a gimp mask and tailored suit. He says, “I’m not here to make a radical statement, I’m here to be me and do what I do. If I feel like making an oil painting under a bridge with a girl’s dress on in the middle of summer, I’m going to do it.”

Newt has a varied array of shopping adventures, some favorites are: Metro Park, Hot Topic, Against All Odds, and Ebay. N3wt blends styles from hip-hop culture and skater style, and often likes to purchase items that are a bit obnoxious in size, color, and design. Artful Dodger and Subscript are two of N3wt’s favorite fashion labels; both have a modern and urban feel to them. They use sleek cuts, bright colors, large silk screens, and offer an artful spin on the hip-hop style of dress.

His dress and style are influenced by his artistic renderings and his musical projects. He describes his paintings and drawings as, “madness.” His creations are often large in size with lots of colors. They are not limited just to paper and canvas; Newt’s artwork can be found on his own body as tattoos, on walls, and on fabric. He makes art for art’s sake and says he’s not trying to hide any deep meaning behind them.

Newt plays with his band Kryszt, performs live with Digital Geist, and creates beats soloing as N3wt. Newt is no stranger to the music scene, as he has been producing, creating, and djing electronic music since 2000. Some of his influences are: Orbital, Aphex Twin, This Morn Omina, and cEvin Key. Newt has performed his solo and group projects in many cities: Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, Cleveland, and Toronto are a few. Newt always brings his high energy to the performances along with the music. Newt’s current focus has been producing, as music is a deep passion for him and he would like to share it with as many people as possible.

Gathering these insights into alternative fashion from our “men with style” has been inspirational. It’s been refreshing to hear alt fashion discussed from the male point of view. No matter what your style or what inspires you, ZZ Top said it best, “every girl’s crazy about a sharp dressed man!” Amen.